For some reason. This photo strikes me in an incredibly powerful way. 

(Source: barackobama, via itscandidlycara)

Time

Because I love history, and I love vintage (but who doesn’t these days), I always think that I wish I could have lived in a time period. Wishing I could have lived in historical centuries is easier. Society moved a little slower, clothes and architecture and culture changed, but not much during the course of one life.

But now in the last 200 years or so, culture moves so quickly! Nobody ever only lives for an era. So its weird kind of that we split up lifestyles and fashion into decades. My grandpa just died and when I think about his life, he lived through the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s! That’s some life!

So if you think about it. All of those people that we admire from one certain era weren’t preserved in only that era. They lived through several. I guess that’s why people who die young are such martyrs of culture. They aren’t tainted by other times. 

So that means when I wish that I could have lived during sayyy the 20s for example, I would also have gotten to live through everything else. Weird.

All of those young people we admired from one time became old geezers 60 years later. It’s the way of the world. 

But those people who do live through all of those decades either throw out all of the culture from the previous, or reminisce about it. The hip ones are excited to move forward and forget all of the previous fashions, and the nostalgic, calm ones refuse to move forward. In the present, its hip to look backward. That means looking forward will probably be the next new trend. I might be ready. 

This might be totally pointless and self evident, but I feel like there’s something really weird lying underneath all this that I’m not eloquent enough as a writer to describe…

"It is true that we are weak and sick and ugly and quarrelsome but if that is all we ever were, we would millenniums ago have disappeared from the face of the earth."

John Steinbeck (via bunnymitford)  (via candidlycara)

Daily thoughts

I can’t decide. History vs. fashion? UGh! 

On the plus side. Tiffany is taking her reference photos for the portrait tomorrow, and that is basically the best honor of my entire life! 

Only problem is… I have to look good

I really have to study for APE. Goodbye my sweet tumblr :(

For love of history

Today in Euro. Something jumped out at me. The topic we are currently focusing on is Napoleon and his empire, and today at the beginning of our usual class discussion we were talking about the way he was able to govern France. 

Now for all of y’all who are unsure about Napoleon and his history here’s an EXTREMELY brief life summary: 
He staged a coup d’etat in 1799 that some historians believe was an end to the French Revolution that had begun around 1789 (though beginnings and endings are both shady concepts). In the next 15 years he then went on to become First Consul, Consul for Life, and eventually Emperor of France. He expanded the empire continually until he controlled a large majority of Europe to some extent or another. He reformed many aspects of the poor French gov’t with his Bank of France, Concordat of 1801, Napoleonic Code, National Education system, and many other changes that still affect France to this day. He also strove to bring the Enlightenment/Revolutionary ideas to the people. Unfortunately, his authoritarian craving for power and his constant wars became too much and he was exiled to Elba in 1814. Being Napoleon, he escaped and had a Hundred Days of ruling France before he was defeated in the battle of Waterloo (yes that’s where the idea for the ABBA song came from), and finally exiled to St. Helena. 

Basically, Napoleon is fascinating. My teacher was talking about him and he said that Napoleon couldn’t help but govern France the way he did. I just think that testifies so much to how amazing he was. That he is one of those people that has his own era, & more importantly his own chapter in my textbook. He created France in his image. So powerful. Its such a fantastic concept. 

"

Pourvu que ca dure…

If it only lasts…

"

Letizia Ramolino, mother of Napoleon

(Source: britannia.com)

The Rules of Courtly Love

Honestly, I can’t find one that isn’t true in some way…

From The Art of Courtly Love by Andreas Capellanus

1. Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.
2. He who is not jealous cannot love.
3. No one can be bound by a double love.
4. It is well known that love is always increasing or decreasing.
5. That which a lover takes against the will of his beloved has no relish.
6. Boys do not love until they reach the age of maturity.
7. When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor.
8. No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons.
9. No one can love unless he is propelled by the persuasion of love.
10. Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice.
11. It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to seek to marry.
12. A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved.
13. When made public love rarely endures.
14. The easy attainment of love makes it of little value: difficulty of attainment makes it prized.
15. Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved.
16. When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved his heart palpitates.
17. A new love puts an old one to flight.
18. Good character alone makes any man worthy of love.
19. If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives.
20. A man in love is always apprehensive.
21. Real jealousy always increases the feeling of love.
22. Jealousy increases when one suspects his beloved.
23. He whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps very little.
24. Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved.
25. A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved.
26. Love can deny nothing to love.
27. A lover can never have enough of the solaces of his beloved.
28. A slight presumption causes a lover to suspect his beloved.
29. A man who is vexed by too much passion usually does not love.
30. A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
31. Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women.

"Deep and established ills cannot be cured with a single effort: the destruction of abuses is not the work of a day."

Cahier of 1789, The Nobility of Blois

People who complain about today obviously have no knowledge of history.

I feel sorry for them. 

"The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear."

Daniel Defoe